Having set her goals and having calmed down, Cely went below the ground and continued cultivating as she absorbed the surrounding Qi at a terrifying pace.
If before her Evolution her Talent was 998, her Talent now actually reached 999. This was a terrifying improvement! It was around ten times the cultivation speed which neared heaven-defying. It would take her only around 10.000 years to reach the Transcendent God Realm (Tier 10: Divine Fusion).
Before on Earth, she needed a full million years for the same task, which was already terrifying as her talent in the Path of Slaughter was 996. The average talent in any path lies at just 500 with anything above 600 is Genius, above 700 is Hero, above 800 is Great Hero, above 900 is True Hero, above 950 is Legend, above 975 is Supreme, above 990 is Great Supreme, and anything above 995 is Unparalleled.
Each rank is more exaggerated than the last with only one singular being per plane being able to attain the title of The One, a being with a talent of 1000 in any path.
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City of Freedom, Grimm
Grimm was a great city located between the Human Central Continent and the Demonic Western Continent right at the border that separates the two. Nimmer Forest spans the entirety of the border which has a length of 25.000 Kilometers, which is two times longer than the diameter of Earth.
Nimmer Forest contains wast mountain ranges, great lakes, raging rivers, and deep secrets hidden within the vast greenery. The forest is mostly uninhabited as monsters rule over most of it, with only smaller roads that are safe, as they are the roads connecting the two continents.
In the outer edges of the forest are mostly normal monsters, a great number of mutated animals, and a few, but scarce monster Champions. Monsters, depending on their strength have different names.
Champion Class monsters have the strength of Tier 2.
General Class monsters can vary from Tier 3 to Tier 4.
King Class monsters can vary from Tier 5 to Tier 6.
Emperor Class monsters have the strength of Tier 7.
Overlord Class monsters have the strength of Tier 8.
Divine Class monsters have the strength of Tier 9.
There are no higher class monsters in this world, as only Arania, the Spider Ancestor, has reached the height of a Divine Class monster, or so it seems on the surface at least.
Anyway, inside Grimm, City of Freedom, in a large hall supported by 99 Pillars, 99 Figures sat. Each of these figures held great strength and authority within the city. Dan van Dennisen, the Head of the Adventurer Guild in Grimm and the great-grandson of Edward van Dennisen, the Hero of Grimm, who all those years ago freed the city from the rule of Duke Unrik Grimm, an oppressive Duke who exploited the civilians under his rule.
"Are there any other important topics to talk about, or are we done with today's meeting?", Dan, a Wolfman of slightly bulky stature with dark gray fur and lighter fur in the front, asked into the round of people from multiple races sitting at the large roundtable.
Klain Deri, an elderly dwarf, sat up, which only elevated his height slightly, but still, the entire round noticed this with practiced ease as they immediately focused on him.
"We are currently running short on precious metal supplies. If this goes on we will not be able to meet demand anymore which will make weapon and armor prices skyrocket.", he spoke clearly but it turned slightly muffled due to his graying beard which went half his height, so about 50 centimeters.
"Understood. We can't let that happen as we may need to be prepared as the monster activity in Nimmer Forest has increased. Send a messenger to Abyss City. They are to increase our share of metals. Of course, they will get the usual rates.", Dan said and as he looked into the round dumbfounded expressions were looking back at him.
"Did... Did you just say monster activity increased in Nimmer Forest? How bad is it?", a scholarly-looking man looked at him through his slightly tinted rectangular glasses.
"3 Stars.", Dan said nonchalantly as he looked at the scholarly-looking man whose expression turned blank in return.
The whole room turned silent as all of them looked at Dan with blank expressions.
Dan smirked seeing this as he looked at those faces.
"Haha, would we have gotten anything done if I told you beforehand? Also, 3 Stars are nothing. Even if it got to 4 Stars, I can just call him out of seclusion to get us out of the predicament. Anyway, as long as there is no King Class present near our City like in Death Forest, we are totally okay. And even if an Overlord Class from the central regions of Nimmer Forest came here, he could handle it."
Hearing this everyone relaxed. They forgot that the fossil was still alive, sitting in his chamber cultivating.
"Since there won't be any more things to talk about, I will conclude today's meeting. we will meet again next month like usual.", Dan said as he went back home. Coming inside he saw a beautiful Demi-Human Neko sitting on the sofa sleeping.
"I am home dealing.", he whispered kissing her on the forehead, making her black cat ears twitch slightly, a smile emerging on her sleeping face.
After this, he went into the basement, passing hundreds of restrictions before finally arriving in front of a small basement door.
"Come in.", an ancient voice came from the room.
As he entered the room he saw an ancient-looking Wolfman sitting on the ground cross-legged. He looked slightly emaciated and his fur was completely gray-white. His skin was wrinkly and his eyes sunken looking like black holes, but looking into them one would feel like looking into an abyss.
"Great grandfather, you called me?", Dan said as smiled and bowed to the ancient-looking figure.
The old man slightly looked up and one could hear his bones crack under the movement.
"Lucifer killed Maria in Nimmer Forest.", the old man said.
Hearing this Dan felt like a bomb just exploded in his head as his thoughts became chaotic.
"W-what exactly happened?", he asked his voice filled with absolute disbelief.
"Maria succumbed to the corruption of that thing and as Lucifer found out, he killed her.", Edward calmly replied.
Dan slowly fell into contemplation.
"Lucifer told me to make someone retrieve something from there for him. You are to go where he killed Maria and receive someone called Cely who took over her body."
"WHAT?", Dan exclaimed as this threw his thoughts into chaos again.
"You don't have to think too much about it. The Cely person you are looking for is a mycelium that has taken over Maria's body. But that Cely person is not normal in the least. Her background is terrifying, so be careful and don't get on her bad side. Lucifer said she is very dangerous if you become her enemy. She is like a cockroach and basically unkillable. And every time you try she just comes back stronger the next time.", Edward explained calmly his old eyes becoming visible for a second as he talks about her with interest.
As Dan calms down, he nods at Edward. "I will try to find her and bring her back then.", he said, bowing to Edward, before leaving the room.
As the door closes, Edward looks forward calmly.
"He is a good kid.", Lucifer calmly says emerging from behind Edward.
"Indeed he is.", Edward gave a weak smile.
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Nimmer forest, shortly after Cely broke through and stabilized her cultivation at the seventh stage of Qi Refinement Realm, a presence was slowly approaching her position. Slightly surprised, she extended her senses and quickly found the presence.
"Wolves?", she wondered as she focused on the distant wolves that were wandering and slowly approaching. They were black in color with large bodies of over 3 meters. A single horn protruded out of these wolves.
"Shadow Unicorn.", a name appeared inside her mind, although she didn't know where it came from. She smiled as she read through the information about them that appeared inside her memories as she slowly approached the Shadow Unicorn from below ground.
Suddenly she became dazed as she followed and approached her prey, she waited until they rested, before extending her roots out of the soil, slowly entangling the wolves with her silverfish white roots. After all of them were entangled, a vicious aura rose, as without warning, the roots sunk into the flesh of the Shadow Unicorn, branching off into thousands and then millions, rooting themself into the helpless creatures.
She almost moaned as she slowly sucked out their Life Energy and Blood and her roots slowly formed a net inside of them, even piercing their soul. And, with a final pull, all the Shadow Unicorns melted into a mass of roots that retreated into the ground.
As Cely woke up from her daze she enjoyed the orgasmic feeling of the foreign energies being refined into her own cultivation and power inside of her body and not too long after that, she calmed down.
"I think I overdid it.", she smiled wryly to herself thinking about the previous experience.
Soon, as she was about to refine all the energy, her Realm broke through yet another time.
"So this is the true power of this bloodline.", Cely thought as she was ecstatic.
"Great, I will be back to my peak even faster in that case. She thought, deciding to go hunt for more monsters to increase her own cultivation, and definitely not for the feeling of it.
.....
...
.
A few minutes later, Dan's figure approached the spot where Cely ambushed the Shadow Unicorn before. As Dan walked toward the spot, he picked up a familiar scent.
"Shadow Unicorn? But why do their traces end here...", he mumbled to himself slowly looking around the area, before looking at the ground where he finds multiple miniature holes, indicating something had pierced through it.
As he thought about what it could be, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Found you.", he said, a smile materializing on his snout as he looked in the direction Cely went toward.